Report: Tom Brady 'Name to Watch' for Future Ownership Stake in Dolphins

Recently retired quarterback Tom Brady is reportedly a "name to watch" for a potential ownership stake in the Miami Dolphins if Stephen Ross opts to sell the NFL franchise.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported Thursday that Ross could decide to sell the organization before the league investigates allegations brought forward by former head coach Brian Flores, including an alleged offer of $100,000 per loss in 2019.

Ross' business partner, Bruce Beal, holds the first right to buy the Dolphins from Ross, and there's a "lingering belief" Beal would sell a small percentage of the team to Brady, per Florio.

The 81-year-old real estate billionaire joined the team's ownership group in 2008 and became the majority owner with a 95 percent stake one year later.

In January 2020, Ross told Armando Salguero, the of the Miami Herald, that he didn't plan to sell the franchise during his lifetime.

"I have no interest in selling. Zero. Got it? That I can tell you," he said. "People want to write, they can write whatever they want. I'm the owner 'til I die. I love it."

That stance may be changing.

Florio noted that given the likelihood that Flores' claims "will be corroborated," it could open Ross up to potential criminal violations under the U.S.' Sports Bribery Act. So he could instead decide to sell the team to Beal and move on.

Flores' allegations came as part of a lawsuit filed against the NFL and three of its teams seeking damages for racial discrimination.

Meanwhile, Brady announced his retirement Feb. 1 after 22 seasons with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers that resulted in seven Super Bowl championships, the most ever by a player.

Celebrity Net Worth lists the legendary quarterback's net worth at $250 million, and his wife, model Gisele Bundchen, checks in at $400 million, giving the family the financial bottom line necessary to become part of an NFL ownership group.

It's unclear whether the couple is interested in such a venture, but Brady said on the Let's Go! podcast (via ESPN's Jenna Laine) while he was contemplating retirement that those familial decisions would pave his future.

"I said this a few years ago, it's what relationships are all about," he said. "It's not always what I want. It's what we want as a family. And I'm gonna spend a lot of time with them and figure out in the future what's next."

His longtime on-field rival, Peyton Manning, has also been linked to a group with interest in buying the Denver Broncos, so that friendly rivalry could take on a new form in the years ahead.

That said, so far it's unclear whether Ross has a genuine interest in selling the Dolphins.